CONSTRUCTION OF AN MRI-SAFE TACHYCARDIA LEAD

摘要

A medical device lead includes a tubular conductive element disposed over a lead body. The tubular conductive element includes at least one segment having one or more kerfs formed radially therethrough in a predetermined configuration so as to affect at least one electrical property, e.g., electrical impedance, of the segment. The segment may form a shocking conductor of the medical device lead. The tubular conductive element may alternatively include proximal, intermediate and distal segments each having one or more kerfs formed radially therethrough, where the one or more kerfs in each of the proximal and intermediate segments are configured so that these segments each have a higher electrical impedance than the distal segment. A layer of insulative material is disposed over the proximal and intermediate segments, so that the proximal and intermediate segments of the tubular conductive element are operable to filter electromagnetic energy from an external source.

主权项

1. A medical device lead, comprising:
a lead body including a tubular member having a proximal end, a distal end, and a conductor lumen extending therebetween, the tubular member made of an electrically insulative material; an electrical conductor extending within the conductor lumen from the proximal end of the tubular member toward the distal end of the tubular member; a tubular conductive element disposed over the tubular member of the lead body between the proximal and distal ends thereof, the tubular conductive element including a first segment, a second segment extending distally from the first segment, and a third segment extending distally from the second segment, each of the segments having one or more kerfs formed radially therethrough in a predetermined configuration so as to affect an electrical impedance of the respective segment, wherein the one or more kerfs in each of the first and second segments are configured so that the first and second segments have a higher electrical impedance than the third segment, so that the first and second segments of the tubular conductive element are operable to inhibit induced currents in the tubular conductive element in the presence of an external source of electromagnetic energy, and wherein the electrical conductor is mechanically and electrically coupled to the tubular conductive element; and a layer of insulative material disposed over the first and second segments of the tubular conductive element, wherein an outer surface of the third segment of the tubular conductive element is uninsulated so that the third segment can be operable as a shocking electrode.